My Travel Blog
It feels like there should be a universal rule that it is impossible to get sick on a vacation. Sadly enough, today I succumbed to a ridiculous head cold that started showing its tentacles yesterday afternoon. I figured that if I completely ignored the signs, it would move on. Not so! Arrrrrghghghgh! The good news is that everyone else in my family is healthy and full of vim and vigour while I sadly sit with pounding sinuses and a Kleenex at the ready. The worst part is that I really don't want to miss anything - which makes the whole 'resting' thing a bit annoying.
Our plan today was to tour the Royal Apartments of the Real Alcázar in Seville. Jeff bought tickets online yesterday for the very last tour of the day, as everything else was sold out. The upper levels are still used by the Spanish Royal family as their official Seville residence - how often they stay there is another question. (But one I want to know the answer to!!) We had to first put our bags through a security machine and then lock them in lockers - no pictures allowed - before being escorted through the various rooms. Some of them had the original flooring from the 1500s, which is in remarkably good shape. The rooms, compared to tastes nowadays, are small, cold, and more ornate than I would personally enjoy. The views, however, are fantastic, and I can imagine that at the time it was extremely impressive to both live there, and be invited to visit.
The dining room was interesting, and after watching Downton Abbey I can actually picture the whole 'procedure' taking place. One thing we wondered about was how the food actually got to the dining room, as it was nowhere near the kitchen and we couldn't see any obvious openings for the food to appear from. Also, where did they go to the bathroom? These things are important to me.
It was pretty interesting, but as we weren't allowed to take any pictures inside, I have instead included a picture of the outside grounds. We walked around the outside of the palace a few days ago, but with a ticket today, we had the opportunity to see a lot more. The gardens were really beautiful, and I was happy for the royal children from hundreds of years ago because there were actually open spaces where I could imagine them running and chasing a ball. Typically gardens are so formal, and I always wondered how kids let off steam.
We stopped for lunch afterwards at a tiny hotel that advertised a rooftop patio overlooking the cathedral. It was really pretty, but this head cold of mine rendered me unable to both smell and taste, and so eating was not quite as fun as it usually is. For a foodophile, this was very disappointing!! The view (and company) was still very pleasant, and Jeff continued his addiction to oporto sauce. (I must figure out how to make it - he will order anything with it in the description!)
At this point, I had to make the decision of whether to return home to the apartment to rest (a prudent decision), or continue on with the family to enter the chapel and see the tomb of Christopher Columbus. I had a huge FOMO (fear of missing out), and so I pushed through and tromped through the streets lagging slightly behind the rest of my healthy brood. Shout out to Jeff, who discovered through some internet digging yesterday, that we could buy a ticket for a small church (El Divino Salvador) and with it, get access into the Seville Cathedral. Genius! There was literally no line-up at all at the small church, and after a cursory look through it, we headed back toward the Cathedral and the masses of humanity lined up in never-ending queues. We walked right in! I almost felt bad, except that I didn't. (Jeff said he Googled, "Skip the line Seville Cathedral.")
We saw Columbus' tomb (sorry, it's a bit fuzzy because when I turned off my flash, it also turned off auto-focus). We wandered around, but I think we may be a bit Cathedral-numb and didn’t spend much time in there. To be truthful, compared to the one in Cόrdoba yesterday it didn't even come close. This may be considered a first-world problem about 15th-century structures.
By this time of the day it was obvious that I really needed to get back to our apartment and get horizontal. However, on our way back I realized that I was STARVING because I had barely eaten all day! We went to a small tapas place near our apartment that has the absolute best empanadillas in the whole world. We have actually eaten them three times - they are crazy good! I felt revived after afterwards, and we all went home for a nap and rest. Zzzzz.
Dinner tonight was discovered through Google Reviews, and it was amazing! We lucked out and got the very last table, and the place was hopping!! Super busy, great energy, and unbelievable food. It was all tapas, and we ordered chicken wings (kids declared these the best ever!), chicken curry, patatas bravas, vegetable spring rolls, mushroom risotto, and stir fried noodles. Quite the eclectic mix of food, but everything was amazing. The kids needed to try dessert, and it was presented printed onto a giant wine bottle! Julia was beyond excited to get zanahoria cake (carrot cake) that came with a mini Hagen Daaz bar on the side. Chloe nearly exploded when she learned that the Banoffee was a combination of vanilla ice cream, mango mousse, fresh bananas, and dulce de leche. Those are pretty much all her top ingredients in a dessert. Win!
Today was a fantastic way to end our time here in Seville - we have a real feel for the place and absolutely loved the food and the people. We are so glad to be here in the beautiful springtime temperatures, as opposed to the oppressive summertime heat. Even today (at 24C), the sun was intense and you can only imagine the insanity of summer. Time to move on to Madrid and our last few days in Spain. Olé!
Today we intended on staying in Seville and catching a few more of the sights, but when Jeff discovered that we could only buy tickets for a tour of Seville's Real Alcazar for tomorrow, we switched plans and decided to make the hour and a half drive to Cόrdoba instead. Cόrdoba is one of the places that I really wanted to see on this trip to southern Spain, and it 
didn't disappoint. It was a gorgeous day for exploring, and we were so happy to see it in the spring, as opposed to the oppressive summertime heat.
Before leaving our apartment, we wanted to get a quick load of laundry done to ensure that it would have time to dry before we leave here on Wednesday. European washing machines always cause me a bit of stress - we have had many different problems occur with them. I often feel like I'm taking a shot in the dark by pushing various buttons after putting soap in random slots. One time I needed to watch an entire YouTube video on how to actually make the machine work, despite having read the poorly translated manual, and then there was the time our clothes were locked inside and Jeff literally had to take the entire machine apart with a butter knife. I may have a mild form of PTSD from that last incident, but as we regularly require clean clothes I do my best to manage the situation. Today I had a small panic when, after the wash cycle finished, the door didn't open. NOT AGAIN! We re-set it to spin again and hoped for the best. After some deep breathing, I had no luck when pulling on the handle. Just as my panic increased, Chloe tried - and VOILA it opened!! Angels sang and rainbows appeared. Phew. Our family has clean underwear, and we can once again walk with confidence for the next 5 days.
The drive to Cόrdoba was easy and we found great parking close to the major sights. Before experiencing any of the 
guidebook worthy sites, we had to first eat lunch. We stumbled across a cute place in a tiny alley, and it was fantastic. I will spare the details of every dish, but the deep fried eggplant with molasses-honey was crazy good. It was so delicate and unique, and it was a fantastic introduction into this really cool place. We started off on the right foot for sure - as good food is the sure way into our hearts!
The unique history of Cόrdoba is the main reason why we wanted to visit; from the 8th to mid-13th centuries, Cόrdoba was the capital of the Islamic Emirate and was a center for Islamic education. Before that time, it was a Roman capital, and so you can still see their handiwork with The Roman Bridge across the river. The main attraction though (and the reason we made the drive), is the Great Mosque of Cόrdoba - and great it is. Unbelievably enough, there wasn't a line-up to get inside, and it was a very reasonable price to visit. It truly is fantastic, and it is unlike anything I have ever seen before. The site was originally a Catholic Basilica, and when the Muslims conquered the area in 711 the church was divided into Christian and Muslim halves. (That sounds so civilized, but I'm sure it wasn't all peaches and cream at the time!) That sharing arrangement didn't even last 100 years before it was all torn down and they built the structure we see today. Cόrdoba returned to Christian rule in the mid-1200's, 
at which point the amazing Mosque was converted to a Roman Catholic Church. However, when you enter the space there is no denying that it used to be a Mosque, and a breathtaking one at that. The space is so calm, and the play between the Islamic architecture and the Christian elements is really unique. There is so much more to say about it, and quite honestly I think it deserves a 20-page essay - but I will leave it at this. If you find yourself anywhere close to the area, this is most definitely a must-see!
We came back home for an hour or so of rest before heading out to a very important event: dinner. We take this event very seriously! We tried to get into a restaurant a few nights ago, but because it was the Saturday night of Holy Week and located right across the street from an important church, we were denied entry. (Due to lack of a reservation, not because of any other physical or spiritual trait.) Tonight we were lucky enough to score the very last table, and it was a fantastic experience! After placing our order, we were given our own little dishes of amazing olive oil to dip the fresh, warm bread into. To make things more exciting, they brought a little clothesline of salami - sounds crazy, but they literally had chorizo clothes-pinned to a fancy little metal laundry-line! I didn't have my camera with me (low battery, and full memory card), so I could only photo-document it in my mind. We were thoroughly amused. Then came test tubes of sangria for the adults, and juice for the kids. The pleasures continued with the presentation of our appetizers in rock bowls and a phyllo pastry extravagance. It was so fun! Dessert was equally amusing, as Julia's brownie was served with a cotton candy cloud that evaporated when the waiter poured chocolate syrup over it - seriously, we were all so gleeful! Finally, wrought-iron artistic masterpieces came holding limoncello and chocolate truffles. Quite the experience, and very unexpected. If in Seville, go to Az-Zait (it means 'olive juice' in Arabic!). You won't be disappointed.
Now it's time to get to bed and prepare our last day in Seville. Time has gone both slowly, and incredibly fast. What a great problem. :)
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